Belgian Embassy pledges support to refugees in Northern Uganda

Officials from the Embassy of Belgium in Uganda at a bakery training for the refugees. (PHOTO/Courtesy)

ARUA – Officials from the Embassy of Belgium in Uganda are in the northern country on a visit to places of less fortune.

“We hereby share with you ‘Day 3’ of our visit to northern Uganda, which saw the team spend a day with our colleagues from Enabel in Uganda,” said the Embassy.

The officials visited Rhino camp refugee settlement and Olujobu Health center III which has benefited from the Results-Based Financing (RBF) program from the Belgian Government.

“Thanks to RBF, the facility has been able to buy its own medical equipment and now rarely experiences any medicine stock-outs,” said officials.

The officials said there is an improvement in leadership and the staffs are more motivated as they are mentored and trained through the RBF program.

“As a result of all the improvements, the facility is seeing an increase in Out Patient Department attendance and improved community health-seeking behaviours.”

The team was taken to visit a bakery training session for the refugees offered by Jimmy Ssekasi Institute under the support of Enabel, where they received a warm welcome from the grateful members of the ‘God is Able’ organisation.

Excited South Sudanese refugees at Bakery training. (PHOTO/Courtesy)

The group members were excited to go out and start making an income by implementing their newly acquired skills.

At the Flaminio Vocational Training Institute in Arua town, the team found that under the EU Trust Fund – Northern Uganda, youth (SouthSudanese refugees and Ugandan nationals from the host communities) undergo training and skilling at Flaminio in catering, tailoring and garment cutting, hairdressing, weaving, building and concrete practice and agriculture.

“The team was lucky to join an induction class and interacted with the students who were excited to be getting this training. Interesting too was that boys were taking up courses in hairdressing and catering and girls were taking training in boda-boda mechanics,” said the Embassy.